


Sleepless Nights

by ratmum



Category: Life of the Party D&D (Web Series)
Genre: Comfort, Fluff, M/M, Vassian, its quite short, sleepy, soft, something soft for the soul, this is based on a headcanon of mine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 15:20:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28530603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ratmum/pseuds/ratmum
Summary: Once again Vanden finds himself unable to sleep and tries to find comfort in Cassian's arms by traipsing himself to Cassian's room, who is more than happy to keep him company while he tries to sleep.
Relationships: Renard | Vanden du Argentfort/Cassian Thiarin
Comments: 3
Kudos: 42





	Sleepless Nights

Vanden stared up at the ceiling through the dark and let out a heavy sigh. He wasn’t sure how long it had been since he left the others to sleep but it felt like a millennia. Apparently wanting to get an early night didn't sit right with his body as he found everything just slightly off. The mattress was too lumpy, the sheets too scratchy and his back was aching more than usual, forcing himself to either lie on his side or front. The room was too hot but at the same time too cold and no matter how many times he got up and opened and shut the window, it seemed nothing was going to make him comfortable. He felt too exposed with the window open anyway. 

It had been a pretty relaxed day for the party, considering everything else they’d been through, yet Vanden was still feeling high strung. There was so much that needed to be done so sitting around doing nothing wasn’t exactly the first thing on his mind. It was only the kind words from Astra that broke him down enough to leave his paperwork alone for a few hours and join the rest of them in the communal area for a few rounds of cards, which Elyse destroyed them all at before leaving to go and do whatever it was Elyse did. He ended up spending more time away from his work than he planned but he had to admit, Astra had been right when he said it would be good for him - his head definitely felt clearer when he returned to pouring over the contracts and maps in the evening - but the feeling hadn’t lasted long after settling himself back into the situation at hand. This, he partly blamed on his lack of sleep. 

He sat up and rubbed his eyes - tiredness was kicking in but there was no way he was going to get rest like this. There was only one thing he thought would be able to help him settle but he wasn’t sure exactly what to do about it, after all, it was kind of weird to sneak into someone’s room at night when they’re sleeping. Then again, Cassian was an elf, so the chances of him being asleep weren’t exactly the highest at the moment. He debated his decision for a while before deciding fuck it, the worst thing that was going to happen was him being told to go away which, from Cassian, wasn’t too much of a rare phrase. He pulled himself from the sheets and dressed himself into some loose clothing before silently creaking open his door and making his way over to Cassian’s room. 

The barracks themselves were comfortably warm, most likely from the fire they had lit earlier, and there was still the lingering smell of Boblem’s cooking hanging in the air. Vanden thought to himself that this really was the closest feeling to home he’d had in a while and it brought just a gentle smile to his face. He trusted these people with his life, and although he wasn’t the best at showing it sometimes, he did care for them greatly. The positivity and hope they brought to his life was honestly not what he had expected from travelling with them but he didn’t regret a single second of it. 

He sucked in a breath before giving a gentle rap to Cassian’s door and waiting a second for a response. Soon came the sound of quiet groaning and footsteps before the door was creaked open and Cassian peered around the door to see who was bothering at this time of night. He looked agitated at first but when he realised it was Vanden his expressions softened just slightly. 

He straightened himself up. “Vanden?” Cassian said, raising an eyebrow. 

Vanden averted eye contact for a second before admitting himself. “I can’t sleep.” He felt his heart start to hammer in his chest. Gods, why was he so nervous? It’s only Cassian. Just Cassian.

“Do you want me to make you some warm milk or something? Boblem really is the one you should ask about that.” 

Vanden shot him a look. “I know how to warm my own milk. I’m not a child.”

Cassian let out a short breathy laugh. “Okay, Mr. I don’t eat my vegetables.”

He gave him an unamused looked before sighing. Okay, maybe this wasn’t the best idea. He hadn’t really thought about how to approach the topic before arriving which he realised he probably should have. What was he meant to say? Hey, Cassian, I can’t sleep so can you please wrap your arms around me? Hey, it’s really late but I have decided you are the only thing that can help me sleep so hold me? Absolutely not. 

Apparently he was taking too long to answer because Cassian clicked his fingers in front of his face to grab his attention. “Are you okay?”

Vanden gave a small smile. “Yes. Sorry to bother you, I’ll be going now.” He went to turn before he felt a hand around his wrist keeping him locked in place. 

“You come to my door at god knows what hour to tell me you can’t sleep only to leave abruptly after I tell you to eat your greens?” Cassian raised his eyebrows again, dropping his hand from Vanden’s wrist. 

“I just wanted company, is all,” he replied hurriedly. 

“Well if you had said that first you could have come in.” He sighed. “For a Prince, you sure are bad at talking to people.”

“You’re one to talk.”

“Excuse you, I am excellent at making friends.”

“Contacts don’t count as friends, Cassian.”

He huffed. “Do you want to come in or not?”

Vanden thought for a moment before nodding his head. He would much rather be in here than in his own uncomfortable room with his own thoughts. Cassian opened the door wider for him to come in and gestured with his hand loosely. Vanden followed the command and walked in, perching himself awkwardly on the end of his bed, waiting for something to happen. He wasn’t entirely sure what.

Vanden cast his gaze over the room. He’d been in here before a few times but he hadn’t properly looked at it. Cassian’s room was pretty much identical to his, although there were a few trinkets scattered around, most prominently were his seashells he kept and all of his stuff that he did henna with. He noticed that the stuff was newly opened - that was probably what he was doing before he came in. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you,” he said, gesturing to it. 

Cassian had sat himself down on the floor at this point, legs crossed and stretching his arms. “I didn’t even start it, so it’s fine.” He looked at Vanden sat on the edge of his bed. “Lying down tends to help you sleep, you know.”

He didn’t really want to say it but he wished he would join him on the bed. All he wanted was to be wrapped in Cassian’s arms while he drifted off to sleep, feeling him pet his hair softy. He was torn between wishing he was a mind reader but also wishing he wasn’t. On one hand, he would just know how Vanden felt which would make this whole scenario so much easier but, on the other hand, Cassian would know how he felt which was just a terrifying thought in itself. 

Not saying anything, Vanden laid himself down onto the bed and pulled the covers up around him. They were still warm from where he assumed Cassian had been sitting earlier and he tried to get comfortable in the bed, tossing and turning himself over in the sheets and alternating which side of the pillow he wanted to rest on. He occasionally gave a glance over at Cassian, who was still sitting cross-legged on the floor, eyes shut and breathing calmly. 

His face looked so soft in the moonlight shining in through the window, and Vanden took a second to just admire the man’s face. This was probably the most peaceful he’d ever seen him and Vanden was just eating it up, the urge to reach out and caress his cheek softly, to just hold him, was so strong but he refrained himself, not wanting to ruin the moment. He wished he could save this imagine permanently, the light complimenting the shadows and highlights of his face, accentuating his favourite parts, and made Vanden realise just how much he was falling for this man. It was scary but he’d faced worse before.

“Do I have something on my face?” Cassian said, eyes still closed, unmoving.

Vanden blushed red and was suddenly thankful for the fact his eyes were closed and the room was dark. “No! You just looked… peaceful,” he replied, pulling the blankets up to his face. 

Cassian opened his eyes and looked at him, brows furrowed for a second, then smirked. “Are you done moving around? You’re very loud, you know.”

“I take a while to get comfy, my apologies if I was disturbing you.” He paused for a second. “Are you sure you’re fine on the floor?”

“I can rest pretty much anywhere, I don’t mind,” Cassian said, but then one look at Vanden hiding himself under the covers made him smirk slightly. “Unless, you’d rather me join you?”

Vanden didn't say anything but he felt his face grow into a brighter red and he pulled the covers fully over his head to hide it. He heard sounds of movement and then he felt the covers on his face being pulled down to reveal Cassian staring down at him, still smirking. He was probably getting a high off of the fact Vanden was too nervous to admit what he wanted.

“Move over.” Vanden shuffled himself away to give him room and Cassian lay himself down beside him, one hand on Vanden’s hip and looking into his eyes. “Is this better?” he said, almost a whisper. 

Vanden didn't know what to do except to slowly nod his head. Yes, this was so much better. Cassian was warm and soft, the hand on his hip was soothing and he let his head fall deeper into the pillow and shut his eyes. The hand started drawing gentle circles and Vanden focussed in on them, allowing himself to be taken away by the man next to him. He shuffled himself forward so that he could rest his head just under Cassian’s and threaded his own arm around his waist bringing him in tighter. Cassian’s arm reached around to mimic his but as soon as he touched his back, Vanden tensed up sharply and sucked in his breath out of habit. Noticing this, Cassian silently moved it away and instead threaded it between them, letting his hand caress Vanden’s cheek.

They lay like this for a while, melting into each other slowly, their breathing lining up steadily together. Vanden couldn’t remember the last time he had cuddled up with someone like this but it just made him realise how much he missed it. The warmth and touch from another person was like a drug, feeling illegal for it to feel this nice and, just like before, he wished he could capture this moment, to stay like this forever. If only there was a way you could bottle it up and save it for a rainy day. 

Cassian fell heavier into the pillow and Vanden reached forward and gave his neck a small kiss from where he was. He knew he wouldn’t be falling asleep any time soon but he was comfy now and definitely felt a lot safer wrapped in Cassian’s arms like this. He brought his own hand up to the one resting against his cheek and started to brush his fingers upland down his skin, feeling how soft and gentle it was. He took his hand and placed it on the pillow between them so he could look at it properly. Starting at the top of his forearm, he began to gently trace over the golden henna and gradually make his way down his arm, following the lines, swirls, curves and dots. Vanden realised he never really paid much attention to it besides a small glance, but now he found himself becoming entranced in its beauty and how the gold shon in the soft moonlight. He admired the precision and the artistry that went into it, trying his best to avoid ruining it in some way as he caressed the skin. 

His actions were starting to make him sleepy, the continuous and gentle patterns soothing him and making his eyelids fall as he did so. After a while, his movements got slower as he began to drift off to sleep and the last thing he heard before passing out was Cassian’s voice, soft and sweet in his ear.

“Sleep well, my Prince.”


End file.
